Alex was terrified and was having a worse migraine from lack of caffeine. He wondered if this was equal to or worse than what prisoners were put through. He sighed in boredom as he leafed through a book Thomas had brought him the day before. He had reread it four times and he was already tired of it. Surely no person could live like this.
There was a knock at the door, somewhat condescending as it was impossible for Alex to deny Thomas the right to entre. What a sick joke. He didn't entre the room, only grabbed Alex by his wrist harshly and pulled him out. Alex clawed against his grip, sure that there was going to be bruising based on how hard he was pulling him. They stopped outside a room. Alex didn't know it, but he knew it couldn't be good.
"Are you going to kill me?" He asked softly, shrinking into himself. Thomas' expression softened and loosened his grip, not enough for Alex to break away but enough to where it didn't hurt as much.
"No, baby, of course not." He swooned, caressing Alex's cheek with his hands. "You need a bath."
"Oh..." He sighed out, feeling a sense of relief filling his stomach. "R-Right." Thomas put a kiss to his temple before reaching behind him and opening the door to the toilet. There was a pile of neatly folded clothes on the toilet and a soft pink coloured towel hung up on a hook next to the sink. The layout reminded him of his own apartment, and then he realised Thomas probably knew it because his dumb ass let him inside. Alex stood awkwardly in the centre of the room, his toes digging into the soft bath mat. "I can do this alone."
"Oh, of course." Thomas spoke in a disappointed tone before closing the door behind him and finally left Alex alone. He knew Thomas was waiting outside the toilet in case Alex does something rash, but it was nice to get a sense of somewhat normalcy. Pulling off his dirty clothes, he stood under comfortably warm water. He took a deep breath, pausing for a moment, and released it.
For a moment things felt normal.
🌻
"Hey, George!" Eliza smiled, a hand in her black messenger bag. She had made fliers for John. No one had seen him for a while and she was starting to get worried. The older man stopped and turned to look at her. She held out a few fliers. "No one's seen John for a while and I'm just wondering if you could hand these out in the shop."
"Of course, Ms. Schuyler." He complied with a worried look, taking the small stack of fliers. Eliza hugged him and went with a small wave. Throughout the day, she posted more fliers and went home defeated after receiving no calls or leads. She would have gone to the police, but what help would they be. People go missing every day and most never get found.
"Babe, I'm home!" Maria called as she entered the small studio. She frowned once she saw her girlfriend hugging her knees on the couch watching 'We Bare Bears'. "My song, do you need some tea?"
"Yes, please." She answered in a small voice, lifting her head to receive a kiss from Maria. Maria put the kettle on and sat back down beside Eliza, wrapping her arms securely around Eliza. "No one's seen John or Alex and I'm getting scared that they'll never be found."
"It's only a matter of time until they are." She promised. "Don't worry, I'm sure they're all right."
